Visa-Free Access to Kartarpur Corridor

• 15 Jul 2019

Recently, Pakistan has agreed to give year-long visa-free access for Indian pilgrims to the Gurdwara of Kartarpur Sahib.

• It allows visa-free travel for the Indian passport-holders and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card-holders seven days a week.
• India proposed that the holy shrine be open to Indian citizens of all faiths, acceding to this demand pakistan “in-principle agreed” to allow all people with Indian passport and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card-holders.
• India also asked Pakistan to prevent Khalistan supporters from misusing this historic initiative.
• India also urged Pakistan to allow ‘Nagar Kirtan’ from Delhi to Nankana Sahib in Pakistan in July and during October-November 2019 as part of the celebrations to mark the 550^th birth of Guru Nanak dev, the first Sikh Guru.

Guru Nanak Dev

• Guru Nanak Dev Jayanti is observed on the full-moon day in the month of Katak to celebrate the birth of Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539).
• He was the first of the 10 Sikh Gurus and the founder of Sikhism.
• The Kartarpur corridor will be implemented as an integrated development project with Government of India funding. The development comes ahead of the 550^th Prakash Purab or 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in 2019.

Nagar Kirtan

• Nagar Kirtan is a Punjabi term which literally means "Neighbourhood Kirtan".
• The term refers to the possession of Sikh Sangat (Congregation) through the town singing holy hymns.
• The concept of a Nagar Kirtan is to bring the message of God to the doorstep of the community.
• It is common during the month of Vaisakhi(April-May) and take place all over the globe.

Khalistan

• The Khalistan movement is a Khalsa nationalist movement that wants to create an independent state for Sikh people, inside the current north-western region of India.